MY CLASSIC CAR VISITS MIKE CIMINO IN COLORADO SPRINGS

Mike Cimino is the Vice President of the chain of Phil Long dealerships throughout Colorado and in Raton, New Mexico. Son of Jay Cimino, owner of the dealerships, Mike is a huge part of one of the most reputable dealerships in Colorado and not-so-shockingly, he is also a car enthusiast. If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Cimino's garage, you would be able to gather that. For those who haven't seen his garage, host Dennis Gage from the television series, "My Classic Car," -- who has also hosted celebrities like Jay Leno -- gave us a look at two of Cimino's favorite classical vehicles.

Cimino is a muscle car devotee and enjoys his hot rods, something that Gage appreciated greatly, but when he took a short trip to Colorado Springs, Co to film this episode, Cimino took him on a different kind of ride along Pikes Peak. Cimino introduced Gage to some 70s classic vehicles from both Ford and Toyota, and vehicles that have made an impact on his life since his childhood.

The first vehicle Cimino introduced to viewers was the 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40, a vehicle modeled during the Korean war but didn't actually hit retail market until 1996. Of course, Cimino did some modern-day alterations to this classic vehicle, but focuses on authenticity and tries to preserve that as much as possible in his vehicles. This sunshine yellow Land Cruiser has been lifted 6-inches, includes a 5280 Warner Winch, has all OEM parts, with the exception of a few things. Some notable parts of this vehicle were the rolled glass corners, which are unique to the FJ40, and a Chevy 350 V-8 fuel-injected ramjet crate motor. Boy, what a mouthful! This vehicle drives just like a hot rod, which Gage noted after Cimino let him take it for a spin.

The second vehicle was the one of more sentimental value, although it started at as a snow-plow. Cimino started diving into this vehicle and quickly realized it could be turned into something more. Cimino's 1974 Ford Bronco with the 2008 Z06 Corvette Atomic Orange paint job is enough to turn heads. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, Cimino had a cousin who owned a Bronco, and after taking a ride in one, he knew he had to have one. The Bronco is opened up to let the Colorado air right in and unlike the Land Cruiser, this engine is the original 302 engine but has ceramic headers. Cimino made this vehicle entirely unique by adding a 4-inch roll cage, a removable hood, interchangeable doors, and a 6-inch lift. Thankfully, he never has to worry about leaving this vehicle out in the rain because it is completely waterproof, even the speakers, and you can clean the inside with a hose!

Both vehicles have an upgraded dash and cluster, and while they are not OEM parts, they are still authentic enough to give the vehicles classic feels. The '74 Bronco and '76 Land Cruiser are still some of the best and most classic cars in the nation and Cimino has preserved them well. To learn more about Mike Cimino or his father Jay Cimino, or to purchase vehicles from a family of vehicle fanatics, visit any one Phil Long Dealership in Colorado!

About My Classic Car

"My Classic Car" is a weekly television series carried on four networks and reaches a combined total of over 100 million households nationally. The show has been trekking across America since 1997 to find some of the greatest and most classic vehicles in existence. Host, Dennis Gage, has been fortunate enough to attract celebrities like Jay Leno onto the show as his guest. View more of Dennis Gage's episodes on his My Classic Car YouTube Channel or visit his My Classic Car's website to purchase previous episodes!

A definitive date and time for NBC Sports Network is not available at this time.

*These episodes will all air again six months from all the original dates and times above.

Rev'n is a relatively new over-the-air network that you can pick up with an antenna for free and currently reaches about 57 million households. It is available in most major media markets and airs in Denver with KHDT, channel 16.2. The schedule for Rev'n is less predictable, but they will continue to run each of these episodes forever. They are currently running "My Classic Car" 29 times per week, 9+ of which are new season episodes.

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